The UHD era begins on DTT. The public platform RTVE has just launched the new La 1 channel at 4K resolution with HDR and Dolby Atmos. It is the only platform in the world that offers such technological deployment for free, and throughout the national territory.
Nowadays, pay television platforms, such as Netflix or Disney+, charge you extra if you want to watch content in 4K, despite it being the only format with which new televisions have been manufactured for years. And finding content in Dolby Atmos is quite rare, except on Disney+ and Apple TV+.
Now RTVE arrives and offers 4K HDR with Dolby Atmos for free, “as standard”. Although it has not clarified what content will come with HDR and Dolby Atmos. We assume that the series and movies, and some foreign films, because we do not believe that is all the content.
How to tune La 1 to 4K HDR
On February 14, the so-called “DTT blackout” will occur. Misnamed, because more than a blackout, it is a rebirth. It is a blackout because we are leaving behind an image quality that is 20 years out of date, but a rebirth because DTT is finally going to adopt HD resolution by default.
Starting February 14, all channels that broadcast in SD will disappear, although practically all of them will be replaced by their corresponding HD version. Some, like La 1, will also have a UHD or 4K version. In this card you have more information:
If you want to enjoy La 1 in all its splendor at 4K resolution, all you need is a 4K TV that has a DVB-T and HEVC compatible decoder. All 4K televisions sold from 2017 onwards already have it.
There is no need to make any changes to the installation. Simply, retune the DTT channels from the TV channel menuso that the new channel La 1 4K appears.
If you also want to take advantage of HDR, or high dynamic range, which offers purer and more realistic colors, more brightness and more details in the shadows, your television has to be compatible with HDR.
The same goes for Dolby Atmos. In order to use this 3D sound technology, either the television must have Dolby Atmos speakers, or you must use external speakers or a sound bar compatible with this technology.
It has taken years, but finally DTT is technologically equal to pay television platforms. 1 is the first network in the world to broadcast for free in 4K with HDR and Dolby Vision. Let’s hope that the rest of the chains follow in their wake.